| Year 13 | Number 67 | 2005 | October 15th, 2005 |
| "Unshakable faith is only that which
can face reason face to
face in every Humankind epoch." Allan Kardec |
| "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be a well
of water springing up into everlasting life" Jesus
|
||
| ° EDITORIAL
|
||
| GEAE's 13th Anniversary - How we Should Commemorate It | ||
| ° ARTICLES
|
||
| La Revue Spirite - The Journal of Psychological Studies of the Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies | ||
| ° THE CODIFICATION
|
||
| Characteristics of the Virtuous Man | ||
| ° ELECTRONIC BOOKS
|
||
| Memoirs of Father German - 17th Chapter | ||
| ° SPIRIT MESSAGES
|
||
| The Search for Universal Spirtual Truths | ||
| ° UPCOMING EVENTS |
||
| Spiritist Events - October and November |
| ° EDITORIAL |
GEAE's 13th Anniversary - How we Should Commemorate It
GEAE is commemorating
its 13th anniversary this month. It's an
important date, there is no doubt. However, as happens with Master
Jesus’ birthday, the right way to commemorate this date is not
giving a party and getting gifts, hugs and good wishes but doing good
actions and dedicating them to our Master Jesus.
So, if you, dear reader, wants to greet us for GEAE’s anniversary, please do it helping someone in need. A person in need is not necessarily a beggar or a sick person lying alone in a hospital. No, a person in need may be someone very close to us to whom we hardly ever pay attention. That person may be our relative, our neighbor, our class or job mate, someone who works for us without us having ever noticed it. Let us look carefully around us, let us visualize for a few minutes all the people with whom we interact every day or just some days in the week and see if we have been giving them the attention they need and deserve as the children of God they are.
Do we smile every time we talk to person in our daily life? Do we smile and listen to every person who talks to us throughout the day? It’s not rare that all a person needs to feel better is having someone to listen to his problems but we’re normally in such a hurry that we never pay attention to other people’s complains. Quite often a person has only had bad emotions all day and a pure smile is like a warm shower making the person’s heart feel that life is worth living.
We must be conscious of our duties and it’s our duty as spiritists to love our brothers and sisters, no matter if they love us or not. And if we love them we must help them to evolve. If we don't know how to do it, there is a good manual. It’s known as The Saint Francis Prayer.
We help others to evolve being instruments of God's peace. And it's good to help oher people because, as the prayer says, we receive when we give, we are pardoned when we pardon, so whem we help others it's them who are helping us.
This month is GEAE’s anniversary and the main thing that GEAE has been doing for those 13 years and will keep doing as long as it exists is taking light where there is darkness. And if we have been successful in our mission we have to thank you dear and faithful reader for having acted as multiplier, broadcasting the information that we send to you in our monthly issue thus allowing our light to reach those that are more in need. As Lord Jesus taught to us, our lamp must stand as high as we can put it so that it illuminates the most people possible. Our light may be feeble but if a light, no matter how feeble it is, encounters darkness, darkness ceases to exist.
Much Peace and a Long Life to GEAE!!!
The Editors
So, if you, dear reader, wants to greet us for GEAE’s anniversary, please do it helping someone in need. A person in need is not necessarily a beggar or a sick person lying alone in a hospital. No, a person in need may be someone very close to us to whom we hardly ever pay attention. That person may be our relative, our neighbor, our class or job mate, someone who works for us without us having ever noticed it. Let us look carefully around us, let us visualize for a few minutes all the people with whom we interact every day or just some days in the week and see if we have been giving them the attention they need and deserve as the children of God they are.
Do we smile every time we talk to person in our daily life? Do we smile and listen to every person who talks to us throughout the day? It’s not rare that all a person needs to feel better is having someone to listen to his problems but we’re normally in such a hurry that we never pay attention to other people’s complains. Quite often a person has only had bad emotions all day and a pure smile is like a warm shower making the person’s heart feel that life is worth living.
We must be conscious of our duties and it’s our duty as spiritists to love our brothers and sisters, no matter if they love us or not. And if we love them we must help them to evolve. If we don't know how to do it, there is a good manual. It’s known as The Saint Francis Prayer.
Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not
So much seek to be consoled
As to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born
to eternal life.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not
So much seek to be consoled
As to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born
to eternal life.
We help others to evolve being instruments of God's peace. And it's good to help oher people because, as the prayer says, we receive when we give, we are pardoned when we pardon, so whem we help others it's them who are helping us.
This month is GEAE’s anniversary and the main thing that GEAE has been doing for those 13 years and will keep doing as long as it exists is taking light where there is darkness. And if we have been successful in our mission we have to thank you dear and faithful reader for having acted as multiplier, broadcasting the information that we send to you in our monthly issue thus allowing our light to reach those that are more in need. As Lord Jesus taught to us, our lamp must stand as high as we can put it so that it illuminates the most people possible. Our light may be feeble but if a light, no matter how feeble it is, encounters darkness, darkness ceases to exist.
Much Peace and a Long Life to GEAE!!!
The Editors
| ° ARTICLES |
La Revue Spirite - The Journal of Psychological Studies of the
Parisian Society for
Spiritist Studies
The
Codification of the Spiritst
Doctrine is the set of works undertaken by the French author and
scholar Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, better known as Allan
Kardec, which comprises the teachings of the Superior Spirits. The
Codification is best known as the following books: The Spirits’
Book (1857); The Medium's Book (1861); The Gospel According to
Spiritism (1864); Heaven and Hell (1865) and Genesis (1868). A lesser
known part of the codification is La Revue Spirite, published and
edited by Kardec himself.
On April 1st, 1858, right after the publication of The Spirits' Book and under the advice of the Superior Spirits who were directing the work of the codification, Allan Kardec founded The Société Parisienne des Études Spirites [The Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies] and established La Revue Spirite [The Spiritist Review] as its official media vehicle, a journal for psychological studies. The following excerpt, taking from The Spirits' Book's Translator's Preface, by Anna Blackwell, clearly shows to us the importance of La Revue Spirite in the context of the work of The Codification.
On April 1st, 1858, right after the publication of The Spirits' Book and under the advice of the Superior Spirits who were directing the work of the codification, Allan Kardec founded The Société Parisienne des Études Spirites [The Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies] and established La Revue Spirite [The Spiritist Review] as its official media vehicle, a journal for psychological studies. The following excerpt, taking from The Spirits' Book's Translator's Preface, by Anna Blackwell, clearly shows to us the importance of La Revue Spirite in the context of the work of The Codification.
"Soon after its
publication, he founded The Parisian Society of Psychologic Studies, of
which he was President until his death, and which met every Friday
evening at his house, for the purpose of obtaining from spirits,
through writing mediums, instructions in elucidation of truth and duty.
He also founded and edited until he died a monthly magazine, entitled
La Revue Spirite, Journal of Psychologic Studies, devoted to the
advocacy of the views set forth in The Spirit’s Book.
Similar associations were speedily formed all over the world. Many of these published periodicals of more or less importance in support of the new doctrine; and all of them transmitted to the Parisian Society the most remarkable of the spirit communications received by them. An enormous mass of spirit-teaching, unique both in quantity and in the variety of the sources from which it was obtained, thus found its way into the hands of ALLAN KARDEC by whom it was studied, collated, co-ordinated, with unwearied zeal and devotion, during a period of fifteen years. From the materials thus furnished to him from every quarter of the globe he enlarged and completed The Spirits' Book, under the direction of the spirits by whom it was originally dictated; the "Revised Edition" of which work, brought out by him in 1857 has become the recognised textbook of the school of Spiritualist Philosophy so intimately associated with his name. From the same materials he subsequently compiled four other works, viz., The Mediums’ Book (a practical treatise on Medianimity and Evocations), 1861; The Gospel as Explained by Spirits (an exposition of morality from the spiritist point of view), 1864; Heaven and Hell (a vindication of the justice of the divine government of the human race), 1865; and Genesis (showing the concordance of the spiritist theory with the discoveries of modern science and with the general tenor of the Mosaic record as explained by spirits), 1867. He also published two short treatises, entitled What is Spiritism? and Spiritism Reduced to its Simplest Expression.
It is to be remarked, in connection with the works just enumerated, that Allan Kardec was not a "medium," and was consequently obliged to avail himself of the medianimity of others in obtaining the spirit-communications from which they were evolved. The theory of life and duty, so immediately connected with his name and labours that it is often erroneously supposed to have been the product of his single mind or of the spirits in immediate connection with him, is therefore far less the expression of a personal or individual opinion than are any other of the spiritualistic theories hitherto propounded; for the basis of religious philosophy laid down in his works was not, in any way, the production of his own intelligence, but was as new to him as to any of his readers, having been progressively educed by him from the concurrent statements of a legion of spirits, through many thousands of mediums, unknown to each other, belonging to different countries, and to every variety of social position."
Similar associations were speedily formed all over the world. Many of these published periodicals of more or less importance in support of the new doctrine; and all of them transmitted to the Parisian Society the most remarkable of the spirit communications received by them. An enormous mass of spirit-teaching, unique both in quantity and in the variety of the sources from which it was obtained, thus found its way into the hands of ALLAN KARDEC by whom it was studied, collated, co-ordinated, with unwearied zeal and devotion, during a period of fifteen years. From the materials thus furnished to him from every quarter of the globe he enlarged and completed The Spirits' Book, under the direction of the spirits by whom it was originally dictated; the "Revised Edition" of which work, brought out by him in 1857 has become the recognised textbook of the school of Spiritualist Philosophy so intimately associated with his name. From the same materials he subsequently compiled four other works, viz., The Mediums’ Book (a practical treatise on Medianimity and Evocations), 1861; The Gospel as Explained by Spirits (an exposition of morality from the spiritist point of view), 1864; Heaven and Hell (a vindication of the justice of the divine government of the human race), 1865; and Genesis (showing the concordance of the spiritist theory with the discoveries of modern science and with the general tenor of the Mosaic record as explained by spirits), 1867. He also published two short treatises, entitled What is Spiritism? and Spiritism Reduced to its Simplest Expression.
It is to be remarked, in connection with the works just enumerated, that Allan Kardec was not a "medium," and was consequently obliged to avail himself of the medianimity of others in obtaining the spirit-communications from which they were evolved. The theory of life and duty, so immediately connected with his name and labours that it is often erroneously supposed to have been the product of his single mind or of the spirits in immediate connection with him, is therefore far less the expression of a personal or individual opinion than are any other of the spiritualistic theories hitherto propounded; for the basis of religious philosophy laid down in his works was not, in any way, the production of his own intelligence, but was as new to him as to any of his readers, having been progressively educed by him from the concurrent statements of a legion of spirits, through many thousands of mediums, unknown to each other, belonging to different countries, and to every variety of social position."
Unfortunately, this extraordinary source of knowledge about the work of the codification and the teachings of the Superior Spirits through the Spiritst Doctrine, is not yet available in English and, as such, presents a very worthwhile body of knowledge for future translation.
For those who are able to understand French, the twelve volumes of the La Revue Spirite can be accessed through the following link to the homepage of the le Centre d'Etudes Spirites Léon Denis.
For those who are able to understand Portuguse, the homepage Portal do Espirito is in a process of uploading all the twelve volumes of the La Revue Spirite for their website. By now they uploaded only the first five volumes of the collection, from the year 1858 to 1862.
| ° THE CODIFICATION |
from
The Spirits' Book
The Spirits' Book
918. By what signs can we recognise
a man as having accomplished the progress that will raise him in the
spirit-hierarchy?
"The elevation of an incarnated spirit is proved by the conformity of all the acts of his corporeal life with the law of God, and by his comprehension of spiritual life."
The truly virtuous man is he who practises the law of justice, love, and charity, in its greatest purity. If he interrogates his conscience in regard to the acts accomplished by him. he will ask himself whether he has done nothing wrong, whether he has done all the good in his power, whether no one has cause to complain of him, and whether he has done to others all that he would wish others to do to him. Being filled with the sentiment of charity and kindness for all, he does good for its own sake, without hope of reward and sacrifices his own interest to justice.
He is kind, benevolent, humane, for all, because he sees a brother in every man, whatever his race or his belief.
If God has given him power and riches, he considers them as A TRUST confided to him for the general good; he Is not vain of them, for he knows that God. who has given them to him, can take them from him. If the constitution of society has made other men dependent on him, he treats them with kindness and benevolence, as being his equals in the sight of God; he uses his authority to raise them morally, and not to crush them by his pride.
He is indulgent for the weaknesses of others, knowing that he too needs indulgence, and remembering the Words of Christ, “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone."
He is not vindictive, but remembers only benefits; following the example of Jesus, he forgives all offences, for he knows that he will only obtain forgiveness in proportion as he has forgiven.
He respects the rights of others, as established by the law of nature, as scrupulously as he desires those rights to be respected in his own case.
"The elevation of an incarnated spirit is proved by the conformity of all the acts of his corporeal life with the law of God, and by his comprehension of spiritual life."
The truly virtuous man is he who practises the law of justice, love, and charity, in its greatest purity. If he interrogates his conscience in regard to the acts accomplished by him. he will ask himself whether he has done nothing wrong, whether he has done all the good in his power, whether no one has cause to complain of him, and whether he has done to others all that he would wish others to do to him. Being filled with the sentiment of charity and kindness for all, he does good for its own sake, without hope of reward and sacrifices his own interest to justice.
He is kind, benevolent, humane, for all, because he sees a brother in every man, whatever his race or his belief.
If God has given him power and riches, he considers them as A TRUST confided to him for the general good; he Is not vain of them, for he knows that God. who has given them to him, can take them from him. If the constitution of society has made other men dependent on him, he treats them with kindness and benevolence, as being his equals in the sight of God; he uses his authority to raise them morally, and not to crush them by his pride.
He is indulgent for the weaknesses of others, knowing that he too needs indulgence, and remembering the Words of Christ, “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone."
He is not vindictive, but remembers only benefits; following the example of Jesus, he forgives all offences, for he knows that he will only obtain forgiveness in proportion as he has forgiven.
He respects the rights of others, as established by the law of nature, as scrupulously as he desires those rights to be respected in his own case.
| ° ELECTRONIC BOOKS |
Memoirs of Father Germain
Spirit Communication received through a medium from the Spiritist Center La Buena Nueva,
of the former town of Gracia, Spain.
Copied and annotated by
AMALIA DOMINGO SOLER
Translated
from the
original Spanish by Edgar Crespo
Edited by Yvonne Crespo Limoges
The Spiritist Society of Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.
First Electronic Edition by GEAE (2002)
Edited by Yvonne Crespo Limoges
The Spiritist Society of Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.
First Electronic Edition by GEAE (2002)
Chapter 17
One Less Victim
One Less Victim
Thank you, dear
God, a thousand times thank you, for permitting me to save a young girl
from a life of suffering. Such an innocent creature! What fault does
she have in regards to the blunders and careless ways of her
mother? The sins of the parents’ do not fall on their
children, nor on the fourth, or fifth generation. No, God is much more
Sovereignly Just.
Beloved manuscript, inseparable lifelong friend, you are the legacy I will leave to the world! If the contents of your yellow pages serve to pass on some moral teachings, then I'll be satisfied for having deposited in them all the impressions of my soul. Old book, you are my companion! You are my confessor; to you, I tell all I think and do. You are the mirror of my existence, so therefore, I must confide a new story to you, and its outcome.
Today, it will have been now eight months since Miguel had come to me while I was in the cemetery, to tell me that a woman and a young girl were waiting for me in the church. I went to the temple and there waiting for me was a lady. I looked at her and recognized that she was a recurrent wrongdoer who would come to me every once in a while to confess her sins. She would tell me she would rectify her behavior but, she always went back to her old ways; what one learns while young, one does not forget when old.
I looked at her, and she told me, “Father, I need to speak with you at length, for I have come to you today because I am determined to remedy my faults.”
“They've told me that you're not alone,” I replied.
“No, I'm accompanied by Angelina, and while we talk, I would like for her to stay in the church. She could hear what would not be convenient for her to hear, “she said.
“If you wish, we'll all go to the garden where she can remain passing the time, while the two of us go to my quarters where it is quiet and where we can talk without worrying about someone overhearing us.”
“Good thinking,” said the countess (who belonged to one of the oldest families of nobility). “Come Angelina.” The girl, who had been prostrated in front of the altar, got up all of a sudden and came over to be with us. She looked so very much like the countess that even a fool would know they were related. The only difference was that while Angelina was like an angel who still had her wings, her mother was a Magdalene, without repentance and submerged within a quagmire of sin.
The three of us left the church and entered the garden. I called for Miguel and told him to stay with Angelina. Then the countess and I went to my quarters. I had her sit down and I sat in front of her and said, “Let’s talk.”
She said, “First, let me ask your forgiveness in taking so long in coming to you.”
“As I have told you on numerous occasions, there is no man in this world who has the right to either pardon, or condemn another. God has no visible delegate on earth; the last one, Jesus, left centuries ago.”
“I still see that you continue to be unique Father, in denying priests the powers which God has conceded them.”
“Priests have the same powers as the rest of men. They have a duty to fulfill their obligations, that's all. They can give advice, as I'm going to do with you. Always, whenever you have come, I have given you my opinion and then, using your free will, you follow the path that is the most convenient for you. You have always done this as long as I have known you.”
“It’s true, Father, it’s true. I wish I had followed your advice the first time that I had come to see you!”
“It's true,” I said, “If you had listened to me, Angelina would not have come into this world, at least, not with you as her mother. Poor child!”
“What? What did you say? Who has told you?” she asked nervously.
“Who told me? I already knew, her uncanny resemblance to you says it to all; you are her mother.”
“Oh, you're so right,” she said, “And believe me, this misfortune now obligates me to separate from her and force her to become a nun, although she totally rejects this idea and her poor health might suffer. But, there is no other recourse and since the sins of the fathers’ fall on their children, and she, undoubtedly is a daughter of sin, it serves justice that she is offered as a suitable victim.”
“No,” I said, “In this case, it is you who should offer yourself. You are the one who has sinned, and under God’s Justice, the just are not used for the payment of sinners. But for now, let's drop this point and tell me what you are thinking.”
“Father, you already know that in my youth, I sinned, because I loved. Also, I can say that Angelina’s father was my only true love.”
“Do not profane love, madam,” I said. “Love is greater than a satisfied desire, and in you, there has only existed desire. But . . . the marquis truly loved you.”
“With a madness, it is true,” she said.
“Is he still at court, and has he married?”
“He is, and he's a bachelor.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Yes, when there is no other recourse, but now he hates me.”
“This is not surprising as you have been so unfaithful.... Has he tried to see Angelina?”
“He thinks she is dead.”
“How so?” I asked.
“It was convenient for me to separate myself completely from him. This child would have been a powerful weapon to use against me, if he had her under his authority. And that is what he wanted to do but to cut her off from him completely; I told him that she was dead. Meanwhile, I placed Angelina in a convent. It's been a year since she was confined. I took her out only because I realized that she would have died there of consumption. In no way does she wish to go back to the convent, it broke my heart to listen to her but, there is no other recourse, a nun she must become. So I told myself that it would be better for me to bring her to Father Germain. He would convince her and succeed with sweetness, in what I would have to do by force, because Angelina has told me that she would kill herself if I locked her up in there again. Since other ghosts from my past already persecute me...I do not want the soul of Angelina after me, too.”
“Therefore, Father, here I bring a legally proper letter of donation, of my castle and the village of Saint Lawrence, favoring you. It is only just payment, for such noteworthy service. Compel Angelina to take her vows, for if you entreat her, I know she will do it. You are my last hope. Soon my husband and my brother will be returning from their trip to the Holy Land and Angelina is a hindrance, so it is necessary that in the meanwhile, she be sent away.”
“You say she does not want to live the monastic life?” I asked.
"No, she does not, but what do you want me to do? The honor of my name requires a new sacrifice. Here I leave the letter of donation,” and she put it on the table.
“Good, from this day on, Angelina stays with me,” I told her.
“Ah, yes! Then, I will leave saying nothing to her.”
“It’s better that way and, do not come around here until I say so.”
The countess got up and said, “You are my savior!” and she hurriedly left my presence. She left just in time, because I was running out of patience and of tolerance. Oh, how much I suffered when speaking to immoral people! This countess was a woman without a heart and her history was full of terrible crimes, and with this new act, she wants to kill this poor girl. Angelina should live and love, for her eyes radiate with good sentiments and one can notice in her demeanor that she has a loving soul.
When I entered the garden and she noticed that the countess did not accompany me, she, like a flash of light, understood what had taken place. She immediately took a hold of my hands and with strong emotion, entreating me, said, “Father, Father, you have the face of a good person. Let it be true that you will not compel me to take my vows. Have pity on me, I am too young to die....!” She stopped abruptly, and then cried with such profound sorrow, that I was moved with extreme compassion for her. I hastened to try and pacify her as much as I could, but the poor thing looked at me with such tremendous fear.
Then I felt, flowing through my veins and then throughout my entire being, that unknown force which comes to me, when I must convince someone of something or, I must humble a wrongdoer. I felt as if currents of fire swirled in my head and then, my bent body lifted up majestically. I took one of her hands, and said, “My child, listen to me, and listen well. It has been sixty years that I have been on this earth and lies have never come across my lips. I promise I will look after you. I will offer you happiness, all the happiness that can be possible for a woman in this world. I will give you a family! I will give you days of glory and freedom! Trust me, you poor soul, you have suffered enough in this world.”
“Oh dear Father Germain, if you only knew what I have gone through!” she exclaimed, with such honest emotion that it was almost as if I was dreaming to hear such a loving voice. She continued, “I’ve always lived so alone! I do not know how I did not lose my mind. At night, I would dream that I was away from the convent and I felt so happy.... I was riding a horse, and many horsemen followed me, but my horse always ran faster then theirs, but oh, how horrible it was for me to awaken. When I would wake up, I would see I was a prisoner in a somber fortress. I watched those ladies passing me in their black habits, with their cadaver-like faces, without ever seeing a smile upon their harsh lips... It scared me so horribly that I would then start running around like a crazy person, yelling, ‘dear God, dear God, have pity on me...!’ And evidently, God took pity on my suffering because then the countess took me away from there, to the castle of Saint Lawrence. There, I was relatively happy for six months. I passed the day in the countryside, climbing through the mountains, and at other times, I would ride on a horse through the immense fields that surrounded the castle. I had a thirst for life... and there I was satisfied in part, but this happiness did not last for long. The countess started by telling me that I had a certain fatality over my destiny, and that illegitimate children should disappear, so as not to corrupt society. She said I was the shame of a noble family. The only way that I answered her was by my crying, and that is how I have lived, the last of another six months. Then yesterday, she told me, ‘I am going to have you meet a saint so that you will learn to love God.’ You, without doubt, must be that saint.”
“No, my daughter, I am far from sainthood. But, I say again, God has sent you to this humble abode so that your soul can find the rest it so greatly needs. It is something that your soul has much need of. But very soon, you will also get to know a very good woman who does not dress in a black nun’s habit and, who will love you as if you were her younger sister. In a few minutes, you will soon meet her, as she comes every afternoon to water the garden.”
And so it was, Maria arrived, and briefly I brought her up to date on what had happened regarding Angelina. Then that morally noble young woman hugged Angelina with such affection and spoke to her so sweetly, that the poor girl said, “Dear God! If I am dreaming, I do not want to wake up!” But finally, she was convinced that she was not dreaming, when Maria took her home with her, where she would be staying until my plans for Angelina were realized.
Without losing time, I immediately left for the neighboring city accompanied by Rudolf, where I asked to speak with Angelina's father in secret. Her father was a nobleman, who unfortunately, had the weakness of falling in love with the countess, but with such a love, that a person only feels it once in a lifetime. But, the countess was a woman without heart and soul, an immoral woman of noble birth; those types were the worst.
The marquis knew me, because he was a good friend of Rudolph’s. It was he, it may be said, who had counseled Rudolph to come to my parish and start a new life. When the marquis saw me, he was rather surprised, more so when I told him, “I have need of you for a while.”
“Of me?” he asked.
“Yes, you. Ask leave of your sovereign lord if you are actively in his service.”
“I do not need to ask, because it's been more than a year, that due to my illness, I travel and come and go at my own pleasure. If you have need of me, I can travel.”
“Well, you will continue to travel,” I told him, “And if at all possible, to leave this kingdom, would be so much the better. I am going to entrust you with the custody of a young girl who has powerful enemies. They want to force her to become a nun, but she would rather die then be shut away in a convent. Therefore, your life will be in danger, and it is imperative that you consecrate yourself to guard and protect her from any harm.”
“Your words are wrapped in mystery. Who is this young girl, you are confiding in my care?”asked the marquis. “What sort of a girl is she, who you wish for me to keep and guard? Do you consider me that trustworthy?”
“Yes, I do,” said Father Germain,”What... do you not think yourself capable of respecting a young girl who is as pure as an angel and, whose father thinks she is dead and whose mother has abandoned her?”
The marquis looked at me and I do not know what he read in my eyes, but he grabbed my arm asking, “Is it possible? Where is she? You say that she lives...”
“Come with me,” I replied, “She is at my parish.”
“My poor daughter,” murmured the marquis, “Oh, how many times have I thought of her, and been sorry for not stealing her away from that mother of hers, who is so heartless that not even Satan would want her in hell.”
We immediately left and I told him everything that had occurred up to that day. We arrived at the parish in the evening, and at my lodging, they saw each other for the first time. Oh, how joyous were those moments! Particularly when the noble girl, fixing her lovely eyes on him, asked him with great sweetness, “Will you defend me? Is this true? They want to bury me alive... But I have the desire to live...!”
“And you will live, my daughter,” said the marquis, his voice full of emotion, “We will leave France and go to Spain, for there it is always sunny and there are always flowers. I will make you so happy and soon you will forget all your years of martyrdom in the midst of such immense joy!”
The marquis wasted no time, and in a few days, he had made arrangements for the trip. Angelina disguised herself as pageboy, and the two of them went, accompanied by two of his squires, all the way to Spain.
To try and describe the joy Angelina felt would be impossible. When she saw herself dressed as a boy, when she had convinced herself that she had broken her chains, and when she looked and saw the noble figure of her father, the purest satisfaction shown on her face. She turned to me and said, “You have fulfilled your promise to me. You have made me very happy. You have given me such felicity that I have never dreamed of. Bless you! Not one day will go by in my life without my blessing you, and if I eventually have children, the first name that they will learn will be yours!”
Hours under the sun, Maria and I enjoyed many sacred moments of happiness, as we went a long distance accompanying Angelina and her father down the road. When I embraced that dear child one last time, and, the marquis (who was profoundly moved) said to me, “I will never forget you!” I saw appear, a spirit dressed all in white, her head crowned with jasmines, who looked at me smiling, like a celestial angel!
Maria and I fixed our eyes upon their path, and we remained looking at the departing travelers until they were lost in the distance. Then, we looked at each other and together we exclaimed, “Thank God! One less victim!”
A few days later, I sent for the countess to come see me and I did not have long to wait. I took her to my quarters, and told her, “We have to talk.”
“Did Angelina take her vows?” she asked.
“No, she does not want to become a nun.”
“But, she is obliged to become one!”
“Well, it will not be.” I said firmly.
“What? What are you saying? Did we not have an agreement that I would give you the castle of Saint Lawrence as a donation, on the condition that Angelina become a nun?”
“Is it that you wish to pay for the future well-being of your daughter, by giving us a large castle?” I asked.
“If that is not enough, ask, and I will give it,” she said.
“What can you give? I want nothing from you! Here is your letter of donation. Do you see it? Well, look at it well,” and I tore it into a thousand pieces.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Have you gone crazy? Well, I can see you are not in agreement with me.”
“I would never be in agreement with you in committing the crime of forcing your daughter to take the vows. It would be better to assassinate her, because if she were made a nun it would be like killing her slowly, and I did not wish this. So, I am staying with her. I accepted your infamous donation because it was necessary to save a victim. That is why I pretended that you had bought me. But keep this in mind, I have never sold myself and I never will. There is not enough gold in all the mines of this planet earth, to buy the conscience of an honest man.”
“So, what have you done with Angelina?”
“Only what needed to be done. I gave her protection and assistance.”
“In what way?”
“It is not important to you. What rights do you have over her? None.”
“And, how is that?” she asked.
“Because I say you don’t. Oh, you can reclaim her if you wish, through the law. But then you would have to tell them that a mother forgot all about her child, something a woman should never forget. Did you not want her to leave from your side? Was she not a hindrance to you? Well then, she has gone! But she is free and happy now. You wanted to kill her slowly, you wanted her to lose her mind, but I have given her happiness. I have returned her to her father, who for so many years cried because he thought his daughter was dead.”
“She’s with him? What have you done? I am ruined!”
“Do not worry, the Marquis will never bother you. He is much too happy to think of you. Neither him nor Angelina will remember you, because the vengeance of victims, is to forget their tormenters. Your actions have horrified them, so they will forget about you, so as not to suffer. He cried like a child upon seeing his daughter, so young and lovely. Woman, without heart! Did you not have pity that such a young girl, with so much life and love, was entombed within the depths of a cloister, solely based upon the caprice of your will? That poor girl! Oh, how much you have tormented her! But now she is free, thank God! There is ‘one less victim’!”
The countess stared at me, and it seemed as if she remembered a thousand passions from her past which now made her suffer, and she looked pale. But, hate still animated her eyes. I stood up and faced her, eye to eye, as she trembled. I then said to her, “You are a miserable reptile! You may delight in venomous thoughts regarding how you may hurt me. You can do whatever you want, now that your daughter is safe! But, woe unto you if you pursue her! I, your confessor, will then become your judge, and I will turn you in to the king. You know full well, I know your whole history, which is horrible.”
“Oh, have mercy on me! Please, mercy!” exclaimed the countess, terrified.
“Calm yourself, poor woman! You can continue your life of agony, as you are one worthy of compassion, for there is no one on the earth who can bless you. Continue raising ‘houses of prayer,’ but know this full well, the prayers that you pay for, will not give rest to your soul. Your soul has to grieve much, because those that ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’!”
The countess looked at me with fright in her eyes, and she left me in a hurry. Meanwhile, I calmly collected the ripped pieces of the legal parchment that I had torn up, and like a child, I threw them out of the window into the air. The little pieces of paper flew revolving around like little butterflies, and finally they were lost upon the dust of the road.
Then, I had to laugh with melancholy satisfaction, upon considering that my spirit, detached from the miseries of the earth, was turning over riches, which had been improperly acquired, into the forces of the wind and at the playful mercy of the breezes. I pondered the details of that document and it horrified me to think, what if it had gotten into the wrong hands?
Poor Angelina; so young, so beautiful, and so full of life, and her mother would have had her entombed within a nunnery. There that unfortunate child would have gone insane and she would have denied the existence of God. And now, what a difference!
Later, the marquis wrote to me and told me that he is the happiest of all men and that his daughter is an angel. Angelina also wrote and told me, “Father German, how blessed I am! I owe you so much! My father adores me, and surrounds me like a dazzling light. There is a Spanish young man who says he loves me, and if it were possible we would go to seek your blessings. How wonderful it is to live! I sensed life, and I dreamt of happiness! At times, I dream I am back in the convent with the women in black, who try to catch me and then I start yelling, calling for my father and you. Then my servants wake me, and upon awaking, I cry with joy because I find myself in the arms of my father. Oh Father Germain, I owe you so much! The gratitude of one lifetime does not measure up, to pay for the great benefits you have given me!”
Ah, but I am amply recompensed, because the satisfaction that my soul feels is the tranquility of a soul who has fulfilled its duty. It is a just price that God concedes to those who practice His Laws. Upon reflecting on my efforts, I knew there was one victim less.
How blessed I feel, Lord! How much I owe You! You have given me time to progress, to recognize Your Greatness, and to pay homage by way of reason regarding Your Supreme Truths.
You have provided light to my mind, troubled by the errors of my past lives. Bless You, Light of the Centuries! You, Who make souls immortal!
Beloved manuscript, inseparable lifelong friend, you are the legacy I will leave to the world! If the contents of your yellow pages serve to pass on some moral teachings, then I'll be satisfied for having deposited in them all the impressions of my soul. Old book, you are my companion! You are my confessor; to you, I tell all I think and do. You are the mirror of my existence, so therefore, I must confide a new story to you, and its outcome.
Today, it will have been now eight months since Miguel had come to me while I was in the cemetery, to tell me that a woman and a young girl were waiting for me in the church. I went to the temple and there waiting for me was a lady. I looked at her and recognized that she was a recurrent wrongdoer who would come to me every once in a while to confess her sins. She would tell me she would rectify her behavior but, she always went back to her old ways; what one learns while young, one does not forget when old.
I looked at her, and she told me, “Father, I need to speak with you at length, for I have come to you today because I am determined to remedy my faults.”
“They've told me that you're not alone,” I replied.
“No, I'm accompanied by Angelina, and while we talk, I would like for her to stay in the church. She could hear what would not be convenient for her to hear, “she said.
“If you wish, we'll all go to the garden where she can remain passing the time, while the two of us go to my quarters where it is quiet and where we can talk without worrying about someone overhearing us.”
“Good thinking,” said the countess (who belonged to one of the oldest families of nobility). “Come Angelina.” The girl, who had been prostrated in front of the altar, got up all of a sudden and came over to be with us. She looked so very much like the countess that even a fool would know they were related. The only difference was that while Angelina was like an angel who still had her wings, her mother was a Magdalene, without repentance and submerged within a quagmire of sin.
The three of us left the church and entered the garden. I called for Miguel and told him to stay with Angelina. Then the countess and I went to my quarters. I had her sit down and I sat in front of her and said, “Let’s talk.”
She said, “First, let me ask your forgiveness in taking so long in coming to you.”
“As I have told you on numerous occasions, there is no man in this world who has the right to either pardon, or condemn another. God has no visible delegate on earth; the last one, Jesus, left centuries ago.”
“I still see that you continue to be unique Father, in denying priests the powers which God has conceded them.”
“Priests have the same powers as the rest of men. They have a duty to fulfill their obligations, that's all. They can give advice, as I'm going to do with you. Always, whenever you have come, I have given you my opinion and then, using your free will, you follow the path that is the most convenient for you. You have always done this as long as I have known you.”
“It’s true, Father, it’s true. I wish I had followed your advice the first time that I had come to see you!”
“It's true,” I said, “If you had listened to me, Angelina would not have come into this world, at least, not with you as her mother. Poor child!”
“What? What did you say? Who has told you?” she asked nervously.
“Who told me? I already knew, her uncanny resemblance to you says it to all; you are her mother.”
“Oh, you're so right,” she said, “And believe me, this misfortune now obligates me to separate from her and force her to become a nun, although she totally rejects this idea and her poor health might suffer. But, there is no other recourse and since the sins of the fathers’ fall on their children, and she, undoubtedly is a daughter of sin, it serves justice that she is offered as a suitable victim.”
“No,” I said, “In this case, it is you who should offer yourself. You are the one who has sinned, and under God’s Justice, the just are not used for the payment of sinners. But for now, let's drop this point and tell me what you are thinking.”
“Father, you already know that in my youth, I sinned, because I loved. Also, I can say that Angelina’s father was my only true love.”
“Do not profane love, madam,” I said. “Love is greater than a satisfied desire, and in you, there has only existed desire. But . . . the marquis truly loved you.”
“With a madness, it is true,” she said.
“Is he still at court, and has he married?”
“He is, and he's a bachelor.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Yes, when there is no other recourse, but now he hates me.”
“This is not surprising as you have been so unfaithful.... Has he tried to see Angelina?”
“He thinks she is dead.”
“How so?” I asked.
“It was convenient for me to separate myself completely from him. This child would have been a powerful weapon to use against me, if he had her under his authority. And that is what he wanted to do but to cut her off from him completely; I told him that she was dead. Meanwhile, I placed Angelina in a convent. It's been a year since she was confined. I took her out only because I realized that she would have died there of consumption. In no way does she wish to go back to the convent, it broke my heart to listen to her but, there is no other recourse, a nun she must become. So I told myself that it would be better for me to bring her to Father Germain. He would convince her and succeed with sweetness, in what I would have to do by force, because Angelina has told me that she would kill herself if I locked her up in there again. Since other ghosts from my past already persecute me...I do not want the soul of Angelina after me, too.”
“Therefore, Father, here I bring a legally proper letter of donation, of my castle and the village of Saint Lawrence, favoring you. It is only just payment, for such noteworthy service. Compel Angelina to take her vows, for if you entreat her, I know she will do it. You are my last hope. Soon my husband and my brother will be returning from their trip to the Holy Land and Angelina is a hindrance, so it is necessary that in the meanwhile, she be sent away.”
“You say she does not want to live the monastic life?” I asked.
"No, she does not, but what do you want me to do? The honor of my name requires a new sacrifice. Here I leave the letter of donation,” and she put it on the table.
“Good, from this day on, Angelina stays with me,” I told her.
“Ah, yes! Then, I will leave saying nothing to her.”
“It’s better that way and, do not come around here until I say so.”
The countess got up and said, “You are my savior!” and she hurriedly left my presence. She left just in time, because I was running out of patience and of tolerance. Oh, how much I suffered when speaking to immoral people! This countess was a woman without a heart and her history was full of terrible crimes, and with this new act, she wants to kill this poor girl. Angelina should live and love, for her eyes radiate with good sentiments and one can notice in her demeanor that she has a loving soul.
When I entered the garden and she noticed that the countess did not accompany me, she, like a flash of light, understood what had taken place. She immediately took a hold of my hands and with strong emotion, entreating me, said, “Father, Father, you have the face of a good person. Let it be true that you will not compel me to take my vows. Have pity on me, I am too young to die....!” She stopped abruptly, and then cried with such profound sorrow, that I was moved with extreme compassion for her. I hastened to try and pacify her as much as I could, but the poor thing looked at me with such tremendous fear.
Then I felt, flowing through my veins and then throughout my entire being, that unknown force which comes to me, when I must convince someone of something or, I must humble a wrongdoer. I felt as if currents of fire swirled in my head and then, my bent body lifted up majestically. I took one of her hands, and said, “My child, listen to me, and listen well. It has been sixty years that I have been on this earth and lies have never come across my lips. I promise I will look after you. I will offer you happiness, all the happiness that can be possible for a woman in this world. I will give you a family! I will give you days of glory and freedom! Trust me, you poor soul, you have suffered enough in this world.”
“Oh dear Father Germain, if you only knew what I have gone through!” she exclaimed, with such honest emotion that it was almost as if I was dreaming to hear such a loving voice. She continued, “I’ve always lived so alone! I do not know how I did not lose my mind. At night, I would dream that I was away from the convent and I felt so happy.... I was riding a horse, and many horsemen followed me, but my horse always ran faster then theirs, but oh, how horrible it was for me to awaken. When I would wake up, I would see I was a prisoner in a somber fortress. I watched those ladies passing me in their black habits, with their cadaver-like faces, without ever seeing a smile upon their harsh lips... It scared me so horribly that I would then start running around like a crazy person, yelling, ‘dear God, dear God, have pity on me...!’ And evidently, God took pity on my suffering because then the countess took me away from there, to the castle of Saint Lawrence. There, I was relatively happy for six months. I passed the day in the countryside, climbing through the mountains, and at other times, I would ride on a horse through the immense fields that surrounded the castle. I had a thirst for life... and there I was satisfied in part, but this happiness did not last for long. The countess started by telling me that I had a certain fatality over my destiny, and that illegitimate children should disappear, so as not to corrupt society. She said I was the shame of a noble family. The only way that I answered her was by my crying, and that is how I have lived, the last of another six months. Then yesterday, she told me, ‘I am going to have you meet a saint so that you will learn to love God.’ You, without doubt, must be that saint.”
“No, my daughter, I am far from sainthood. But, I say again, God has sent you to this humble abode so that your soul can find the rest it so greatly needs. It is something that your soul has much need of. But very soon, you will also get to know a very good woman who does not dress in a black nun’s habit and, who will love you as if you were her younger sister. In a few minutes, you will soon meet her, as she comes every afternoon to water the garden.”
And so it was, Maria arrived, and briefly I brought her up to date on what had happened regarding Angelina. Then that morally noble young woman hugged Angelina with such affection and spoke to her so sweetly, that the poor girl said, “Dear God! If I am dreaming, I do not want to wake up!” But finally, she was convinced that she was not dreaming, when Maria took her home with her, where she would be staying until my plans for Angelina were realized.
Without losing time, I immediately left for the neighboring city accompanied by Rudolf, where I asked to speak with Angelina's father in secret. Her father was a nobleman, who unfortunately, had the weakness of falling in love with the countess, but with such a love, that a person only feels it once in a lifetime. But, the countess was a woman without heart and soul, an immoral woman of noble birth; those types were the worst.
The marquis knew me, because he was a good friend of Rudolph’s. It was he, it may be said, who had counseled Rudolph to come to my parish and start a new life. When the marquis saw me, he was rather surprised, more so when I told him, “I have need of you for a while.”
“Of me?” he asked.
“Yes, you. Ask leave of your sovereign lord if you are actively in his service.”
“I do not need to ask, because it's been more than a year, that due to my illness, I travel and come and go at my own pleasure. If you have need of me, I can travel.”
“Well, you will continue to travel,” I told him, “And if at all possible, to leave this kingdom, would be so much the better. I am going to entrust you with the custody of a young girl who has powerful enemies. They want to force her to become a nun, but she would rather die then be shut away in a convent. Therefore, your life will be in danger, and it is imperative that you consecrate yourself to guard and protect her from any harm.”
“Your words are wrapped in mystery. Who is this young girl, you are confiding in my care?”asked the marquis. “What sort of a girl is she, who you wish for me to keep and guard? Do you consider me that trustworthy?”
“Yes, I do,” said Father Germain,”What... do you not think yourself capable of respecting a young girl who is as pure as an angel and, whose father thinks she is dead and whose mother has abandoned her?”
The marquis looked at me and I do not know what he read in my eyes, but he grabbed my arm asking, “Is it possible? Where is she? You say that she lives...”
“Come with me,” I replied, “She is at my parish.”
“My poor daughter,” murmured the marquis, “Oh, how many times have I thought of her, and been sorry for not stealing her away from that mother of hers, who is so heartless that not even Satan would want her in hell.”
We immediately left and I told him everything that had occurred up to that day. We arrived at the parish in the evening, and at my lodging, they saw each other for the first time. Oh, how joyous were those moments! Particularly when the noble girl, fixing her lovely eyes on him, asked him with great sweetness, “Will you defend me? Is this true? They want to bury me alive... But I have the desire to live...!”
“And you will live, my daughter,” said the marquis, his voice full of emotion, “We will leave France and go to Spain, for there it is always sunny and there are always flowers. I will make you so happy and soon you will forget all your years of martyrdom in the midst of such immense joy!”
The marquis wasted no time, and in a few days, he had made arrangements for the trip. Angelina disguised herself as pageboy, and the two of them went, accompanied by two of his squires, all the way to Spain.
To try and describe the joy Angelina felt would be impossible. When she saw herself dressed as a boy, when she had convinced herself that she had broken her chains, and when she looked and saw the noble figure of her father, the purest satisfaction shown on her face. She turned to me and said, “You have fulfilled your promise to me. You have made me very happy. You have given me such felicity that I have never dreamed of. Bless you! Not one day will go by in my life without my blessing you, and if I eventually have children, the first name that they will learn will be yours!”
Hours under the sun, Maria and I enjoyed many sacred moments of happiness, as we went a long distance accompanying Angelina and her father down the road. When I embraced that dear child one last time, and, the marquis (who was profoundly moved) said to me, “I will never forget you!” I saw appear, a spirit dressed all in white, her head crowned with jasmines, who looked at me smiling, like a celestial angel!
Maria and I fixed our eyes upon their path, and we remained looking at the departing travelers until they were lost in the distance. Then, we looked at each other and together we exclaimed, “Thank God! One less victim!”
A few days later, I sent for the countess to come see me and I did not have long to wait. I took her to my quarters, and told her, “We have to talk.”
“Did Angelina take her vows?” she asked.
“No, she does not want to become a nun.”
“But, she is obliged to become one!”
“Well, it will not be.” I said firmly.
“What? What are you saying? Did we not have an agreement that I would give you the castle of Saint Lawrence as a donation, on the condition that Angelina become a nun?”
“Is it that you wish to pay for the future well-being of your daughter, by giving us a large castle?” I asked.
“If that is not enough, ask, and I will give it,” she said.
“What can you give? I want nothing from you! Here is your letter of donation. Do you see it? Well, look at it well,” and I tore it into a thousand pieces.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Have you gone crazy? Well, I can see you are not in agreement with me.”
“I would never be in agreement with you in committing the crime of forcing your daughter to take the vows. It would be better to assassinate her, because if she were made a nun it would be like killing her slowly, and I did not wish this. So, I am staying with her. I accepted your infamous donation because it was necessary to save a victim. That is why I pretended that you had bought me. But keep this in mind, I have never sold myself and I never will. There is not enough gold in all the mines of this planet earth, to buy the conscience of an honest man.”
“So, what have you done with Angelina?”
“Only what needed to be done. I gave her protection and assistance.”
“In what way?”
“It is not important to you. What rights do you have over her? None.”
“And, how is that?” she asked.
“Because I say you don’t. Oh, you can reclaim her if you wish, through the law. But then you would have to tell them that a mother forgot all about her child, something a woman should never forget. Did you not want her to leave from your side? Was she not a hindrance to you? Well then, she has gone! But she is free and happy now. You wanted to kill her slowly, you wanted her to lose her mind, but I have given her happiness. I have returned her to her father, who for so many years cried because he thought his daughter was dead.”
“She’s with him? What have you done? I am ruined!”
“Do not worry, the Marquis will never bother you. He is much too happy to think of you. Neither him nor Angelina will remember you, because the vengeance of victims, is to forget their tormenters. Your actions have horrified them, so they will forget about you, so as not to suffer. He cried like a child upon seeing his daughter, so young and lovely. Woman, without heart! Did you not have pity that such a young girl, with so much life and love, was entombed within the depths of a cloister, solely based upon the caprice of your will? That poor girl! Oh, how much you have tormented her! But now she is free, thank God! There is ‘one less victim’!”
The countess stared at me, and it seemed as if she remembered a thousand passions from her past which now made her suffer, and she looked pale. But, hate still animated her eyes. I stood up and faced her, eye to eye, as she trembled. I then said to her, “You are a miserable reptile! You may delight in venomous thoughts regarding how you may hurt me. You can do whatever you want, now that your daughter is safe! But, woe unto you if you pursue her! I, your confessor, will then become your judge, and I will turn you in to the king. You know full well, I know your whole history, which is horrible.”
“Oh, have mercy on me! Please, mercy!” exclaimed the countess, terrified.
“Calm yourself, poor woman! You can continue your life of agony, as you are one worthy of compassion, for there is no one on the earth who can bless you. Continue raising ‘houses of prayer,’ but know this full well, the prayers that you pay for, will not give rest to your soul. Your soul has to grieve much, because those that ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’!”
The countess looked at me with fright in her eyes, and she left me in a hurry. Meanwhile, I calmly collected the ripped pieces of the legal parchment that I had torn up, and like a child, I threw them out of the window into the air. The little pieces of paper flew revolving around like little butterflies, and finally they were lost upon the dust of the road.
Then, I had to laugh with melancholy satisfaction, upon considering that my spirit, detached from the miseries of the earth, was turning over riches, which had been improperly acquired, into the forces of the wind and at the playful mercy of the breezes. I pondered the details of that document and it horrified me to think, what if it had gotten into the wrong hands?
Poor Angelina; so young, so beautiful, and so full of life, and her mother would have had her entombed within a nunnery. There that unfortunate child would have gone insane and she would have denied the existence of God. And now, what a difference!
Later, the marquis wrote to me and told me that he is the happiest of all men and that his daughter is an angel. Angelina also wrote and told me, “Father German, how blessed I am! I owe you so much! My father adores me, and surrounds me like a dazzling light. There is a Spanish young man who says he loves me, and if it were possible we would go to seek your blessings. How wonderful it is to live! I sensed life, and I dreamt of happiness! At times, I dream I am back in the convent with the women in black, who try to catch me and then I start yelling, calling for my father and you. Then my servants wake me, and upon awaking, I cry with joy because I find myself in the arms of my father. Oh Father Germain, I owe you so much! The gratitude of one lifetime does not measure up, to pay for the great benefits you have given me!”
Ah, but I am amply recompensed, because the satisfaction that my soul feels is the tranquility of a soul who has fulfilled its duty. It is a just price that God concedes to those who practice His Laws. Upon reflecting on my efforts, I knew there was one victim less.
How blessed I feel, Lord! How much I owe You! You have given me time to progress, to recognize Your Greatness, and to pay homage by way of reason regarding Your Supreme Truths.
You have provided light to my mind, troubled by the errors of my past lives. Bless You, Light of the Centuries! You, Who make souls immortal!
Father Germain
Next
chapter: 18
| ° SPIRIT MESSAGES |
The Search for Universal Spiritual Truths
Spirit
communication received by Yvonne
Limoges
All
major religions contain some
spiritual truth. Many of these truths
have become distorted or misunderstood by imperfect mankind, and man
has at times created and added, his own erroneous ideas and posed them
as God’s Universal Laws. The Creator, from time to time and down
throughout the ages, has always sent His prophets to bring to the
people of the planet true knowledge of His Laws in a manner appropriate
to their customs, their times, and in accordance with their moral,
spiritual, and intellectual levels. He still does. In these present
times, His message is not embodied in one person, but in the myriad
voices of the spirits now being heard, through mediumship, from all
parts of the world.
Most of the current major religions have set into stone, so to speak, the basic tenets of their faiths. The ideas and beliefs of these religions were established before the Scientific Age and without the benefit of scientific methods of evaluation and investigation, and when false notions and trepidation guided mankind in his ignorance. Therefore, they have prematurely established mankind’s relationship to their Creator and their understanding of the purpose of life in their doctrines, which is why there are so many errors.
But, we see all major religions value: right conduct, accept the existence of an immortal soul, the existence of a Supreme Creator, belief in some kind of afterlife beyond the material world, and some kind of judgment regarding our behavior. Beyond these basic principles, humanity has added their own particular details depending on their level of understanding of the spiritual truths revealed to them, at that particular time and place in history.
Another concept, the so-called "Golden Rule" can be found in all major religions because it is the cornerstone of the universal Law of Love. God wanted this most important message to reach all His children.
Nevertheless, the main error of many traditional religions, due to the intellectual and moral limitations of man, is to create man-made concepts which exclude their other brothers and sisters of the planet, in knowing and reaching God, because their sense of justice is too small and morally immature to include all humanity, and, to place limits on mankind’s capacity through freewill to spiritually and morally progress towards its own redemption. This is not in conformance with the Creator’s Laws of Infinite Justice and Mercy. Many peoples cannot comprehend God’s magnanimity on this issue, His unlimited Love and unlimited Compassion. But this is what we would expect, since we are all at different intellectual, spiritual, and moral levels of understanding; not everyone is ready to accept and comprehend the Creator’s Laws of total inclusiveness and the unlimited time given mankind for it to seek its own redemption through soul evolution.
Mankind, with its lack of spiritual vision, have restricted God’s Infinite Capacity for Forgiveness and Compassion, by providing for only one material life, in the current Christian, Moslem, and Jewish beliefs. In these faiths, simplistically stated, good people who follow these faiths go to heaven, and bad people, and also those who don’t profess belief in these particular faiths, go to hell. This concept excludes a huge population of the planet from "salvation" not in keeping with the Supreme Justice of God. But, these religions will eventually understand that their religions’ early concept of "resurrection" essentially represented the idea of reincarnation, and, they will learn that "Judgement Day" occurs continuously and automatically via the law of cause and effect.
Those religions primarily from the East, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. accept the important concepts of reincarnation and the law of karma. But among their followers are many who erroneously believe that release from suffering can only be accomplished solely through meditation, ascetic seclusion and exclusion from earthly duties, or through self torture, in their pursuit of Nirvana.
God’s Laws must be separated from humanity’s prejudices. The tool to accomplish this is use of reason in scientific investigation and research. The laws of the Universe are not supernatural, they are natural; superstition has no place. Man must also learn to reduce his pride that keeps him from accepting spiritual truths when he does find them.
Mankind has reached a certain level of spiritual and moral maturity and he has also advanced in intellectual capacity in using the scientific method, with these together, science will support appropriate religious belief. Then humanity will have reached a milestone in its evolutionary progression wherein, religious faith will be based on reasoned and proven scientific facts, and faith will be stronger for it.
The more focused and open-minded investigation of the interaction between the material and spiritual worlds provides a supreme base from which to continue mankind’s study and discovery of the universal spiritual laws that govern our lives, here and in the spirit world. Mankind’s work has only just begun in pursuit of understanding the mysteries of the universe, of God, and the cosmic religion of Universal Truth!
Most of the current major religions have set into stone, so to speak, the basic tenets of their faiths. The ideas and beliefs of these religions were established before the Scientific Age and without the benefit of scientific methods of evaluation and investigation, and when false notions and trepidation guided mankind in his ignorance. Therefore, they have prematurely established mankind’s relationship to their Creator and their understanding of the purpose of life in their doctrines, which is why there are so many errors.
But, we see all major religions value: right conduct, accept the existence of an immortal soul, the existence of a Supreme Creator, belief in some kind of afterlife beyond the material world, and some kind of judgment regarding our behavior. Beyond these basic principles, humanity has added their own particular details depending on their level of understanding of the spiritual truths revealed to them, at that particular time and place in history.
Another concept, the so-called "Golden Rule" can be found in all major religions because it is the cornerstone of the universal Law of Love. God wanted this most important message to reach all His children.
Nevertheless, the main error of many traditional religions, due to the intellectual and moral limitations of man, is to create man-made concepts which exclude their other brothers and sisters of the planet, in knowing and reaching God, because their sense of justice is too small and morally immature to include all humanity, and, to place limits on mankind’s capacity through freewill to spiritually and morally progress towards its own redemption. This is not in conformance with the Creator’s Laws of Infinite Justice and Mercy. Many peoples cannot comprehend God’s magnanimity on this issue, His unlimited Love and unlimited Compassion. But this is what we would expect, since we are all at different intellectual, spiritual, and moral levels of understanding; not everyone is ready to accept and comprehend the Creator’s Laws of total inclusiveness and the unlimited time given mankind for it to seek its own redemption through soul evolution.
Mankind, with its lack of spiritual vision, have restricted God’s Infinite Capacity for Forgiveness and Compassion, by providing for only one material life, in the current Christian, Moslem, and Jewish beliefs. In these faiths, simplistically stated, good people who follow these faiths go to heaven, and bad people, and also those who don’t profess belief in these particular faiths, go to hell. This concept excludes a huge population of the planet from "salvation" not in keeping with the Supreme Justice of God. But, these religions will eventually understand that their religions’ early concept of "resurrection" essentially represented the idea of reincarnation, and, they will learn that "Judgement Day" occurs continuously and automatically via the law of cause and effect.
Those religions primarily from the East, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. accept the important concepts of reincarnation and the law of karma. But among their followers are many who erroneously believe that release from suffering can only be accomplished solely through meditation, ascetic seclusion and exclusion from earthly duties, or through self torture, in their pursuit of Nirvana.
God’s Laws must be separated from humanity’s prejudices. The tool to accomplish this is use of reason in scientific investigation and research. The laws of the Universe are not supernatural, they are natural; superstition has no place. Man must also learn to reduce his pride that keeps him from accepting spiritual truths when he does find them.
Mankind has reached a certain level of spiritual and moral maturity and he has also advanced in intellectual capacity in using the scientific method, with these together, science will support appropriate religious belief. Then humanity will have reached a milestone in its evolutionary progression wherein, religious faith will be based on reasoned and proven scientific facts, and faith will be stronger for it.
The more focused and open-minded investigation of the interaction between the material and spiritual worlds provides a supreme base from which to continue mankind’s study and discovery of the universal spiritual laws that govern our lives, here and in the spirit world. Mankind’s work has only just begun in pursuit of understanding the mysteries of the universe, of God, and the cosmic religion of Universal Truth!
Back to Content
| ° UPCOMING EVENTS |
| Title | Wars and the Spirit-World |
| Date | October 29 |
| Starrt Time | 7:30 PM |
| Duration | 02 hour(s) 00 minutes(s) |
| Location | Baltimore, MD |
| Category | Workshop |
Workshop about Spiritism or on Spiritism's views of other topics, generally involving a forum for a healthy exchange of ideas by all participants.
Workshop will be held at the following address:
Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center
4801 Yellowwood Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
For more information and driving directions, please visit www.ssbaltimore.org
*
The Spiritist Society of Baltimore
offers activities for children 4
and above while parents attend the workshop!
Back to Content
**
| Title | The Family I Chose |
| Date | November 19 |
| Starrt Time | 7:30 PM |
| Duration | 02 hour(s) 00 minutes(s) |
| Location | Baltimore, MD |
| Category | Workshop |
Workshop
about Spiritism or on
Spiritism's views of other topics,
generally involving a forum for a healthy exchange of ideas by all
participants.
Workshop will be held at the following address:
Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center
4801 Yellowwood Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
For more information and driving directions, please visit www.ssbaltimore.org
* The Spiritist Society of Baltimore offers activities for children 4 and above while parents attend the workshop!
Workshop will be held at the following address:
Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center
4801 Yellowwood Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
For more information and driving directions, please visit www.ssbaltimore.org
* The Spiritist Society of Baltimore offers activities for children 4 and above while parents attend the workshop!
| Title | The Christ Consciousness |
| Date | December 10 |
| Starrt Time | 7:30 PM |
| Duration | 02 hour(s) 00 minutes(s) |
| Location | Baltimore, MD |
| Category | Workshop |
Workshop about Spiritism or on Spiritism's views of other topics, generally involving a forum for a healthy exchange of ideas by all participants.
Workshop will be held at the following address:
Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center
4801 Yellowwood Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
For more information and driving directions, please visit www.ssbaltimore.org
* The Spiritist Society of Baltimore offers activities for children 4 and above while parents attend the workshop!
Source: SpiritismOnline.Net
Back to Content
GRUPO DE ESTUDOS AVANÇADOS ESPÍRITAS
ADVANCED STUDY GROUP OF SPIRITISM
Electronic weekly report in Portuguese - Boletim do GEAE
Monthly English report: "The Spiritist Messenger"
The
Spiritist Messenger is sent by email to GEAE subscribers
or to inscricao-en@geae.inf.br with the subject "unsubscribe"
(Free) subscriptions http://www.geae.inf.br/
Send
your comments to editor-en@geae.inf.br
or to inscricao-en@geae.inf.br with the subject "unsubscribe"
Editorial
Council - editor-en@geae.inf.br
Collection in Portuguese (Boletim do GEAE)
Collection in English (The Spiritist Messenger)
Collection in Spanish (El Mensajero Espírita)